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Movies / On DVD / Fred Claus
Fred Claus

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Fred Claus (2007)

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Reviews Counted:134

Fresh:28

Rotten:106

Average Rating:4.2/10

Consensus: A slew of talent is wasted in this contrived and overly sentimental Christmas film, which can't quite get the balance between slapstick humor and sentimental family moments.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for mild language and some rude humor.

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:30-11-2007

Synopsis: Sibling rivalry takes on a new dimension in director David Dobkin's (WEDDING CRASHERS, CLAY PIGEONS) third collaboration with actor Vince Vaughn, FRED CLAUS. Ever since his younger brother,... Sibling rivalry takes on a new dimension in director David Dobkin's (WEDDING CRASHERS, CLAY PIGEONS) third collaboration with actor Vince Vaughn, FRED CLAUS. Ever since his younger brother, Nicholas (Paul Giamatti), was born, it seems that nothing Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) does is good enough. Nicholas literally becomes a saint and is beloved by millions worldwide, but Fred is just a regular Joe. When Fred finds himself in need of big money in a hurry, little brother Santa is the only one he can turn to. Soon, Fred is working at the North Pole to earn some quick cash and shaking things up with the elves to the delight of efficiency expert Clyde Northcutt (Kevin Spacey), who is on a mission to close down Santa's operation. Can the dueling Claus brothers work together to save Christmas? A sweet lesson is thrown in amongst the sibling rivalry and hijinx: there are really no naughty children at Christmas, just kids who may need a little or love or a second chance. Vaughn plays a character familiar to us now, fast-talking but likable with good intentions. He's at his best when teaching the elves the merits of rock & roll, or talking himself out of sticky situations. Giamatti is endearing as Santa Claus, who compensates for the stress of his job by overeating. Spacey's emotionally frozen Clyde Northcutt harks back to WILLY WONKA's Slugworth as a villain. Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton, and Stephen Baldwin appear in the film's funniest scene as siblings with rivalry issues. Rounding at the cast are Miranda Richardson as Santa's wife, Kathy Bates as Mother Claus, Elizabeth Banks as Santa's assistant, John Michael Higgins as Wiilie the Head Elf, Rachel Weisz as Fred's girlfriend, and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as DJ Donnie. [More]

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey, Trevor Peacock, Ludacris

Director: David Dobkin

Director: David Dobkin
Screenwriter: Dan Fogelman
Story: Jessie Nelson, Dan Fogelman
Producer: Joel Silver, Jessie Nelson, David Dobkin
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Reviews for Fred Claus

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Vaughn gets plenty of mileage exploring both the painful and fun sides of Fred.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
11/09/07
Tom Keogh
Tom Keogh
Seattle Times

It may not be a new holiday classic, but at least it's funny.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
11/09/07
Andy Spletzer
Andy Spletzer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A complete bust, derivative and uninspired, boring and dull, not funny, not moving and about a half hour too long.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
11/09/07
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

Fred Claus turns out to be not bad for a Santa movie, which I suppose could be interpreted as either faint or excessive praise, depending on your view.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
11/09/07
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Friend, you may find yourself wondering how we ever survived the holidays without a Christmas dose of Vince.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
11/09/07
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

The satire on globalism and downsizing is also as old as the Clinton administration, but that doesn't stop director David Dobkin from selling it like fresh goods.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
11/09/07
Steven Boone
Steven Boone
Newark Star-Ledger

Unable to sustain its one-note premise, the story foolishly revels in the mythology of Christmas to mask comedic vapidity. The trick doesn’t work.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
11/09/07
Eric Kohn
Eric Kohn
New York Press

There is more plot in the average Geico commercial, so the movie pads itself with detours into sketch ideas that don't develop past the basic concept.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment 1 Comment
11/09/07
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post

About as funny as a sack of coal.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
11/09/07
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

A pleasant little seasonal gift.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/09/07
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Ignore this piece of humbug.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
11/09/07
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

Come back Tim Allen, all is forgiven!

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
11/09/07
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies

The movie's constantly shifting timbre takes some getting used to, and it's hard to escape the feeling that a whole lot of actors (Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Miranda Richardson) are wasted in a whole lot of roles.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
11/09/07
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

It's more like a holiday fruitcake: a lot of different chunks of stuff -- some bitter, some sweet, some awful -- half-baked and sent to people low on the Christmas list.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
11/09/07
Chris Farnsworth
Chris Farnsworth
E! Online

An amiable but awkward Christmas bauble that depends too much on charm substituting for timing.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
11/09/07
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

The eggnog quickly turns sour as the movie alternates between moments both heartwarming and bizarre.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
11/09/07
John Monaghan
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press

There's no more fleet talker flapping his lips with free associative aplomb than Vaughn, and he uses his edgy powers for good here.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
11/09/07
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post

Award winners like Giamatti, Kathy Bates, Miranda Richardson, Kevin Spacey and Rachel Weisz struggle valiantly to elevate the material, but it's hopeless.

Full Review Source: Contra Costa Times | comment Comment
11/09/07
Mary F. Pols
Mary F. Pols
Contra Costa Times

Like so many secular, big-studio Christmas comedies, this isn't naughty enough to be funny or nice enough to be uplifting.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/09/07
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

If Vaughn is trying to test the family-film waters without abandoning his core audience, it doesn’t work here.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
11/09/07
Mark Keizer
Mark Keizer
Boxoffice Magazine
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Fred Claus

November 28, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Local Critics Warm To Changeling; De Niro Delights But What Just Happened Doesn't
It's Friday, there's a new raft of movies in the UK cinemas this week, but are any of them any good? This week the UK film hacks give us their opinions on Clint Eastwood's... More...

November 24, 2008: RT on DVD: Fred Claus, Hancock, and 24: Redemption
The holidays are upon us, which makes it a perfect week to snuggle up with the superhero (Hancock), the spirited (Fred Claus), or the stealthy (Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer... More...

November 23, 2008: Don't make the mistake of misreading this mean-spirited production as a kid-friendly Christmas flick. Opens in new window
More...

November 22, 2008: Vince Vaughn's famously rude Wedding Crasher gets macho with Ludacris as a m-igitalized feisty Santa elf, while huddling over the pint-sized urinals in the john with another, to clue him about North Pole dirty dancing and romance. Opens in new window
More...

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